48 responses to “NO LIP”

It really is 2014 but you’ll have to forgive me time travelling for a while.

The Ruts; we f#ing love them

Its 1978, the second Rock Against Racism Carnival and I’m hanging back by the side of a broken down flat bed truck talking to Tom Robinson. It’s the middle of nowhere and the band that should be playing on the back of the truck are fighting their ancient equipment and losing the struggle.

But the growing crowd isn’t going to move on when they are told to because this is an early outing for The Ruts and whenever they get it together they are absolutely f#ing amazing. The Police really do not like it. There is a stand off until the truck splutters into life again and the band power up to play- In a Rut.

Cut to spring 1978 and I’m lying in a hospital bed with a broken elbow. I’m supposed to be in Southall in what ends up being the Southall riot. In fact it’s a Police Riot and The Ruts are one of the targets.

I should have been with friends in the People Unite Squat. This was the home of the famous People Unite Records collective and a thorn in the side of the local council and the nearby police station. Locally, they were a threat to the state and when the chance came, the Special Patrol Group took it and went in and smashed up all the studio equipment and the people inside. Misty in Roots got particular attention, every drum, every guitar smashed. As was all The Ruts stuff. Within weeks the council had levelled the building.

At that time Southall was white working class and Asian working class and that day they came together to defend their town. Since then the town has changed and it’s become a middle class, money making place.

But if you walk a few minutes away from the police station towards Ealing you will see the brass plaque on the pavement that the local Sikh community placed to commemorate the People Unite Collective and the contribution that The Ruts and Misty in Roots made to the town.

Did No Lip really play H-eyes? I haven’t heard that for 35 years.

Clash City Rockers

It’s Christmas week 1978 and I’m in The Lyceum on the Strand. I’m standing next to Don Letts (DJ from The Roxy Club) who has somehow begged, borrowed, stolen or found a movie camera and some film. It doesn’t really look like he knows what he’s doing. We’ve never met before but we are looking at each other in amazement. The Clash are better than we have ever seen them before.

There’s gonna be a Borstal Breakout.

Jimmy Pursey was another threat – April 1978 and it’s the first Rock Against Racism Carnival in Victoria Park.

X-Ray Specs, Tom Robinson Band, Steel Pulse and The Clash; how’s that for a lineup?

And when The Clash come on there is Jimmy Pursey with them on guest vocals. After that I saw Sham 69 many times, and also after that, when the far right found that they couldn’t manipulate Pursey, every time they played there was always going to be a fight. I can’t speak highly enough of Jimmy Pursey’s courage in those days. Not a man to give in to anyone.

NO LIP

Uncompromising, no messing, no surrender.

This is how they describe themselves;

Right, lets get this straight. We are playing no frills, straight up honest as you like punk rock. We don’t bother with our own stuff it just clouds the issue, the issue being bringing these tunes back to an appreciative audience and not trying to promote our own half assed take on current affairs, we leave that to the “Facefuk” generation. Why not come along to this show and hear full on, heart felt renditions of PuNk RoCk classics and rarities plus tunes to groove to before+after the blistering live set. So tell everyone you know, whether you like them or not and get down to the clash city rockers that are “NO LIP”

And that’s about right.

They played a couple of Sex pistols tracks which is fine but for most of us, the art school punks and the Bromley contingent were a million miles away from where we were.

A big thank you to all that came out tonight and made it blinding gig, special thanks to Steve Perry for stepping up to the plate on bass after 1 rehersal and 1 weeks notice. You have dinosaur bollocks my friend, also to Sam and Grant and all the others that made the trip…. You know who you are and to Gary Powell on drums, well done mate. Top night, thanx.

An excellently ferocious gig by No Lip at the Dublin Castle, Camden with Spizz Energi last night was toped off by all the people who made the London trip with us to finish off the year in good style – thanks all!!!!!!!!

Look, it’s obvious you’ve got nothing better to do this fri. You havnt been told about your works Xmas bash, you found out about it accidentally whilst snooping on a colleagues email account and you’re now too embarrassed to mention it. So come to the crown n treaty, uxbridge and join the circus that is NO LIP, after the show we can join you at your works do and single out a few of your favourite people for special attention maybe!

Look, it’s obvious you’ve got nothing better to do this fri. You havnt been told about your works Xmas bash, you found out about it accidentally whilst snooping on a colleagues email account and you’re now too embarrassed to mention it. So come to the crown n treaty, uxbridge and join the circus that is NO LIP, after the show we can join you at your works do and single out a few of your favourite people for special attention maybe!

As time goes on, the manifesto that No Lip have gritted between their teeth seams to make more and more sense. Why try to please an audience with a harf arsed apologetic set list when No Lip can please themselves, with the power and true culture of the working classes.

Our next show for your delight is at the jubilee pub, sunbury opposite kempton racecourse on sat. 17th nov. it is a nice cosy venue so will enable us to see the whites of your eyes, do not be afraid cause no one can hear ya scream in sunbury!

Right, lets get this straight. We are playing no frills, straight up honest as you like punk rock covers. We don’t bother with our own stuff it just clouds the issue, the issue being bringing these tunes back to an appreciative audience and not trying to promote our own half assed take on current affairs, we leave that to the “Facefuk” generation.why not come along to this show and hear full on, heart felt renditions of PuNk RoCk classics and rarities plus tunes to groove to before+after the blistering live set.So tell everyone you know, whether you like them or not and get down to the clash city rockers that are”NO LIP”